[On declaring that she would never end up like her father at the age of seven and going on to build Pall-Ex] I didn’t. the drive that was sparked into life in that moment is what’s seen me through the last fifty years of ups and downs – with a h*ll of a lot of hard graft in between. It’s helped me build a business with an annual turnover of 100 million pounds in the UK and Ireland alone, providing jobs for 7,500 people across nine countries.
Hilary Devey

Nothing is ever as straightforward as you think it’s going to be.
Hilary Devey

Money ran through Dad’s fingers because he was always generous, the first to buy a round and the last to leave anyone else to foot the bill.
Hilary Devey

I wanted to be more in control of my own destiny and I had a burning ambition to achieve something. It was a big risk because I was earning a comfortable salary, but I thought it was now or never.
Hilary Devey

[On the idea that helped create Pall-Ex] I heard him say that they could do a delivery to Scotland but it would not get there until the following Wednesday. For me, coming from a parcels background, that was like going back 20 to 30 years. I asked the haulier why he couldn’t deliver until the next Wednesday and he said it would not be cost-effective until they could fill a whole vehicle. I thought ‘There has to be an easier way than this.’
Hilary Devey

[On recruiting hauliers to her network] I set myself certain criteria – the members had to be financially solvent and they had to have certain operational standards. I think some thought: ‘Who is this madwoman, what is she talking about?’ My system gave them the luxury of telling their customers that they could deliver their pallets the next day. I sold the concept to them on the idea of ‘every postcode, every day.’
Hilary Devey

[On her first logistical hub for Pall-Ex] It had no running water, no electricity and chemical loos.
Hilary Devey

I wrote operational procedures and made members abide by them. If they didn’t, I expelled them from the network. After I had done that once, they knew I meant business and that I would not compromise my standards. The ethos of the company is that they treat other’s freight as they would treat their own. It’s really strictly enforced.
Hilary Devey

I’m very straight-talking and I think hauliers respond to that. They may not like me, but hopefully I’ve earned their respect now.
Hilary Devey